Ballyhoura (Limerick) County Limerick
This hill is located to the east of the Lough Gur Lake and Knockadoon. Two stone ring-forts (cashels), along with associated hut sites, were discovered here. Occupation has been dated to the 8th-11th centuries AD. House foundations were discovered both within and outside the forts. Bronze, iron, and stone tools were uncovered, along with some jewelry and bone implements.
Carraig Aille Fort is on the north side of the hill, and its dry-stone wall encloses an oval area, 42.6×32m. The entrance looks towards the east; recesses in the entryway suggest that a wooden door was present. Steps leading up to the top of the wall were found at two points within the enclosure, and a parapet-walk would have been present.
Carraig Aille Fort is located about 43m to the southeast and has an overall diameter of 47m. A paved pathway leads from the entrance in the east through the interior of the fort towards where small huts had been built on the western side. Steps leading up to the parapet-walk were found at six points along the rampart. It appears that defensive structures became less vital as time went on, and the upper part of the wall on the north side of the fort was torn down, possibly to facilitate interaction between the cashel and the houses outside of it.
The video below will take you around the grounds where the famous shield of Lough Gur was found as well as footage of the surrounding area, the home of US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s (JFK) ancestors.
